NFL Sunday Ticket: Can You Watch Pre-Season Games & The RedZone?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, appreciate your updates and streaming news. Do you know if the Sunday Ticket has pre-season games? And the RedZone channel so you can check out the big plays of games? — Dale, Pittsburgh.

Dale, with the first Sunday of the 2024 NFL season just three weeks away, I am getting a ton of questions about what’s available on the NFL Sunday Ticket. For starters, let me note that the Sunday Ticket’s price has gone up. It’s now $379 on YouTube TV (YouTube TV base sub required) and $479 on YouTube Primetime Channels (no additional sub required.) However, there are some discounts available and you can learn more about them here and here.

Can You Watch Pre-Season Games On the NFL Sunday Ticket?
But does the Sunday Ticket include pre-season games, you ask? The answer is no. Regular season Sunday afternoon games only. However, I can understand how you might think that YouTube’s Ticket does offer pre-season games. The streamer frequently posts a graphic that says if you subscribe to YouTube TV and the NFL Sunday Ticket, you will get pre-season games included in your package. That is technically true. But the pre-season games are airing on your local channels and the NFL Network, which are part of your YouTube TV package. They are not streaming as part of the Sunday Ticket plan. That’s why the graphic says you can’t get pre-season games on YouTube Primetime Channels; that service does not offer local channels or the NFL Network with the Sunday Ticket.

Can You Get the NFL RedZone Channel On the Sunday Ticket?
The answer is yes. But not during the pre-season. For additional $40, you can add the NFL RedZone Channel to your Sunday Ticket package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games. But the channel will not start until the regular season.

Dale, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.

Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.